desert storm
by envysparkler
Summary: AU. In another world, Rin rules an empire with the world at his feet. - Gou/Makoto, Rin/Haru.


**a/n:** A little oneshot based off of the Free! ending song.

 **dedication:** To thrones and kings.

 **disclaimer:** I don't own Free!.

 **summary:** AU. In another world, Rin rules an empire with the world at his feet. - Gou/Makoto, Rin/Haru.

* * *

 _ **desert storm**_

* * *

Rin is sitting on his throne when the trespasser is brought in. The smiles and laughs of his courtiers fade away as the boots of the guards click on the floor. They're dragging a formless shape behind them and only when they throw the shape on the floor at Rin's feet does he recognize sprawled limbs and a head of tousled black hair.

It's a person, a person who painstakingly picks himself off the floor, stopping on his knees when the guard's spear lands on his shoulder. The man looks up, instead, and Rin is captivated.

He looks like death warmed over – his skin is ash and his black cloak does nothing to cover his trembling hands. His lips are cracked and bleeding, but it's his eyes that catch Rin's attention. They're bright and vivid and _intense_ , staring at Rin openly and blatantly. There's sand in his eyelashes and he's shaking, but Rin has never seen such bright eyes before.

"He was caught stealing from the oasis, Your Grace," the guard says, "He says he's a traveler from across the Naraka Desert."

"What's your name, traveler?" Rin asks.

The man looks like he hasn't had a drop of water in days, but he stays silent, boldly defying him. Rin is inwardly amused – no one's directly disobeyed him before.

And no, his sister does not count.

"Clear the court," Rin says, and the hushed muttering of his courtiers increases.

The guards wait until everyone's left before speaking up. "Should we take him to the stake?" one of them asks.

The man doesn't look like he'll last another hour inside Rin's cool palace, he'll die in minutes if he's tied to the stake.

"No," Rin replies, "Leave us." He pauses for a moment, "And get me a glass of water."

The guards leave and within seconds, a servant is bowing next to Rin, handing him a large, cold glass of water. He sips at the water, and makes no effort to hide his shark-toothed grin. The traveler stares longingly at the water, his hands twitching every time Rin swallows. The want is written clearly on every inch of his body, but still Rin waits.

"Haru," the man chokes out, "My name is Haru."

"Haru," Rin tastes the name, staring into the man's bright eyes. It sounds like spring, like green shoots and the buds of flowers.

Spring never visits the desert.

Rin snaps his fingers and another servant appears. "Get my friend Haru a glass of water," he smiles, "He looks thirsty."

* * *

Haru doesn't talk much and it takes every ounce of cunning Rin has to coax the smallest of answers out of him. All he knows about the mysterious traveler is that he was born in a village by the ocean, which is supposedly an oasis so big it can surround empires.

Rin scoffs at that – who ever heard of undrinkable water, after all? – but listens avidly as the man tells a story about an evening at the beach, about so much water that they can afford to waste it by dipping into it.

Rin enjoys the scandalized expression on Haru's face when he realizes that they don't bathe with water.

* * *

His sister has been sneaking off. Rin stands in her empty room and clenches his hands into fists. His sister's been sneaking off in the _middle of the night_.

There is a soft hand covering his and Rin looks up at Haru, who is staring back at him.

"It's the middle of the night," Rin hisses, "And she's gone."

"Maybe she wanted some fresh air," Haru replies quietly.

"In the middle of the night? It's not appropriate!" Rin scowls, scandalized.

"It seems that Gou doesn't share your opinion."

"Gou _never_ shares my opinion," Rin mutters, sinking down onto her feather bed. He is already thinking of the measures he'll have to take to protect his sister's dignity – the guards will have to silence all witnesses and he'll need to have bars installed on her window.

"At least she wasn't taken," Haru points out, "Gou left of her own free will."

"That's exactly why I'm so worried," Rin sighs, "Gou can find trouble _anywhere_."

Haru does manage to calm him, though, and by the time Gou climbs through her window, Rin's relented to only one extra guard and no silencing of witnesses.

He still frowns and crosses his arms and struggles to contain a smile when Gou catches sight of him and shrieks.

"I can explain," she says hastily.

"Please," Rin glowers, "I'd love to hear this."

Gou stares up at him with guilty eyes.

* * *

It's _Makoto_. His advisor. His sister is sneaking out to have illicit meetings with _his advisor_.

Gou hurries out of the room before Rin can even begin to articulate his rage and his guards take one look at his red face before hightailing it out of here. Poor Haru is the only one left and he dives behind a desk as Rin begins throwing things.

"HOW DARE SHE?" Rin screams and a vase shatters against the wall, "HOW DARE HE?" Haru pokes his head out and hastily withdraws when he narrowly misses a head-on collision with a glass.

Rin collapses on the bed after he's broken everything in his room and inwardly admits that he should've seen this coming.

Haru crawls out from underneath the bed. "Are you okay?" he asks quietly.

"Yes," Rin says, his voice hoarse.

"Are you still going to kill Makoto?"

" _Yes_."

"Rin."

"…I'll maim him a little."

" _Rin_."

"Okay, fine, I'll _talk_ to him! I'm still allowed to do that, aren't I?"

* * *

His sister's been reading too many fairy tales. She has to be. It's the only explanation for the scene that Rin walks in on in his advisor's office.

There are tacks littered all over the floor and Gou is standing in the middle of the room, brandishing a sword. Makoto is behind her, blinking at the chaos as if he'd never seen it before in his life.

Rin can relate. Gou is a force of nature when she wants to be.

"I won't let you, Niisan," Gou says fiercely, "If you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me."

Haru comes in behind Rin and stops dead when he sees the room. "What," he says, and it's not a question at all.

"She's been reading too many fairy tales," Rin explains.

"Oh," Haru says, and pauses, "And the sword?"

Rin remembers when his pint-sized sister first demanded sword lessons and winces, "Don't ask."

"I challenge you to a duel, Niisan!" Gou says, pointing the sword straight at him.

Rin decides to leave before he ends up strangling Haru in his confusion.

* * *

He finally gets to have his conversation with Makoto. He shouts and screams and throws things – and he might've also given him a black eye, but Haru doesn't need to know that – until Makoto realizes the damage he could've done to Gou's reputation and her dignity.

By the time Rin is done with him, Makoto is groveling for forgiveness, for a second chance.

* * *

The wedding is a lavish affair and it's only Haru's arm on his shoulder that prevents Rin from pushing through the crowd and making sure that Makoto doesn't forget his place.

But he can admit that the man makes Gou happy – she's smiling and twirling and laughing in her beautiful dress.

He doesn't say it out loud, though. Instead, he scowls, "He's not good enough for her."

Haru disagrees, "He's perfect for her. He's steadfast and loyal whereas she's –"

"What?" Rin glares at him, "Flighty? Disrespectful? Crazy?"

Haru just looks at him until Rin stops frowning. Anyone else and Rin would have them executed on the spot, his sister's wedding be damned.

But then again, Haru always manages to get away with everything.

* * *

 **a/n:** So, a little Gou/Makoto with some Rin/Haru subtext thrown in.


End file.
